A Clueless Fever
by HoT.aGaiNsT.a.WaLL
Summary: They were both so utterly clueless... Semi-songfic. Dasey. LA 'Verse. Review.


**Disclaimer: **Don't own it, and I never will. Though, I've heard they're making a movie or two. So that makes me happy. I also don't own the song Fever, or Micheal Buble.

**Warning:** Foul language, adult themes

**Author's Note**: It's a sad day when a legend like Micheal Jackson dies. So, I am slightly sad, and when I'm upset or anywhere near there… I write. That's why I've written this story. But don't worry, there's nothing sad in this. It's all good in the LA 'verse.

**---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---**

Derek tugged at his stiff, white collar for the umpteenth time; Haley gave him a dark look. He held up his hands in mock surrender, trying to keep her from going into another rant about how he'd ruin his tux if he didn't stop. Fine by him, he didn't want to be wearing the tux in the first place. He had only agreed to this whole set-up because it was _Casey_ after all. And _Casey_ could get anything from him if she put her mind to it. Sighing, he slumped on the leather couch, and Haley shot him another warning look. Rolling his eyes, he sat up, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He went to thread his hand through his hair, a nervous habit of his, when the red head slapped it away.

"You'll mess up your hair," She hissed, and bit her lip, looking down the hall. "Casey! You almost ready?"

"Yeah," Was the muffled reply, but Derek truly doubted she was 'almost ready'.

He rubbed his hands over his face and groaned in frustration. How did he get into this situation? How was he supposed to escort Casey to this elegant ball to meet-and-greet Haley's rich-as-all-hell parents? _How_?

Gulping, he didn't tense as blue lacquered nails scratched along his shoulders. Haley's way of trying to get him to relax, even she was as stressed as he was. Haley O'Donnell was really a sight to behold. She was shockingly beautiful. A dancer like Casey, so she had the legs, but normally covered them with jeans or long, hippie-like skirts. Laid back would be an understatement for how this girl acted, but at the moment she was shoulders back, face eerily calm, and poised to strike if anything went wrong. A black strapless dress fell down to just above her knees, and Derek, being a worshipper of the female anatomy, couldn't help but admire when she'd first walked out to greet him and get him ready. Shapely, tall, and tanned. Just three things to be appreciative of, but there was more to her.

But he wasn't interested. Strange, right?

With a soft plop, Haley sat down next to him, letting a small sigh pass through her ruby red lips. They were glossed to perfection, and if he were interested he'd want to kiss her and see if those lips tasted as pretty as they looked.

But he wasn't interested.

And it was kind of freaking him out a little. The whole, not being attracted to a perfectly hot-girl, thing. Casey had warned him to stay away from her friends at the school, but he'd been staying away from girls in general. Well, except for that really curvy blond chick who'd been a huge hockey fan. And considering he was on UCLA's Ice Hockey team (Go, Bruins!) she'd just jumped at a chance to get him into bed. Not to mention, he'd had a huge blow out with Casey over something he couldn't really remember, and he'd needed to blow off steam. Blondie-what's-her-name was the perfect choice with her big brown eyes, and the big breasts, and the fact that she was only as tall as his chest.

"Okay," His eyes snapped up from the hardwood floor as Casey's voice rang out, less muffled this time.

Wrenching his hands together, he waited for her to walk into the living room where they were. Haley had sprung to her feet, and was smiling so bright it almost blinded him. When Casey finally stepped out into the light so he could see her, his heart pretty much stopped. She was stunning. A silky, violet dress clung to her like a second skin around her, only loosening half-way down her thigh. The square neck cut off, showing just the right amount of cleavage to be sexy, and covering enough so that she didn't look trashy either. A black sash draped around her shoulders, and she held onto a matching clutch purse as she moved forward with a slow, unconscious grace. Her blue eyes popped thanks to the dark eye-shadow around them, and her lips were glossed to a full plump, and _damn_ they looked kissable.

"Ready?" She asked, tucking a piece of her jet straight hair behind her ear, revealing a silver tear drop that hung from it.

"I do believe we are," Haley grinned, inhaling deeply. "Right, Derek?"

He could only stare. It was like his whole body stopped working the second he set eyes on Casey. His step-sister. The reason he hadn't been with very many girls as of late. And he was only just realizing this now. Talk about revelations.

"Derek?" Haley twisted around to look at him with an expectant look. "Are you ready?"

"Um…" Was his brilliant reply.

"I'm taking that as a yes," The red head snapped quickly, stalking over to grab his arm in a firm, almost bruising grip to pull him to the front door. "Go downstairs, Derek. Tell Fred we'll be there in a second."

"Uh…" His lips twitched up in a grin as Casey stared at him in her own awe, those pouty lips parted in slight surprise. "Yeah, sure."

He stood there at the open door, just staring at her, and wanting to thread his fingers through those honey locks. She did the same, a blush rising on her cheeks as she averted her gaze. Sighing in frustration, Haley gave him a quick shove for good measure. "_Go_!"

She slammed the door shut, rolling her eyes at the two of them. _Geezus, were they clueless or _what_?!_

**---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---**

"Now remember," She squeezed her eyes shut, praying in her mind as she spoke. "When we get inside, you're just Derek Venturi and Casey MacDonald, friends of mine who only randomly met this year."

"Why is that our shtick again?" Derek asked with a dry tone, trying his best to keep his eyes off of his step-sister that sat across from him in the limo.

"_Because_," Haley hissed, clenching her small hands into tight fists. "If you say you're her brother—"

"_Step_-brother," Both him and Casey replied with a snap, blushing furiously as their eyes connected.

"If they find out that you're related to her in anyway," Haley growled and glared at the both of them for interrupting her. "You'll be looked down upon by a lot of the people there. You're escorting Casey, Derek. You're her _date_. My family is very shallow and very cruel. If they find something they don't like about you, they'll pick at it and pick at it until you _die_."

"Isn't that a _little_ over the top, Hales?" Casey asked with a strange expression.

"_No_," Haley hissed again and bounced her foot up and down as the limo came to a slow stop.

"You'd know about being over the top, wouldn't you, Case?" Derek smirked lazily as blue eyes lit with an irritated fire.

"Shut _up_, Derek," She snapped, scooting closer to Haley, trying to comfort her friend.

"Oh, not again!" The red head slumped slightly, groaning. "You guys can't start fighting _now_. It'll ruin everything!"

"Hear that, Case?" Derek made a tsking noise, giving her a mock scolding look. "No fighting or you'll have to sit in the corner like a good little drama queen."

"Der-_ek!_" She shrieked as the door opened from the outside.

As the brunette man slid out, he pulled at his jacket, adjusting it to look cleaner and smoother on his body. The next person out was Casey, and now that they were done making goo-goo eyes, they glared at each other heatedly. Haley climbed out last with a broken sob as Casey refused to take Derek's offered arm. The smaller girl nudged her, giving her a pleading look with her bright green eyes. Sighing, Casey took the gesture by linking her arm through his and putting on a dazzlingly fake smile as pictures were taken. Paparazzi... if they fought, it'd be all over the news. Friends of millionaire heiress make a mess at the ball!

"Great…" Haley huffed with a small pout before she started smiling and waving to all the shouting and crowding people.

"Stick close, Case," Derek murmured in her ear, feeling the shiver that had her breath hitching. "Can't have you getting lost."

"I can take care of myself, Der." She said behind a clenched smile. "But thanks."

**---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Dasey---Daesy---**

The party was going fine. Perfect, even. Not one hiccup in all the planning. Casey was a hit with everyone; as was Derek. It was everything Haley could hope for. Except for the fact that they weren't together through all of this. This was a way to get Casey and Derek both to meet her parents, and in the back ground Haley could play cupid and match them together. Because let's just face it, they were perfect for each other. Both of them were hard-headed, stubborn, and wouldn't back down. Especially not to the other. So, match made in heaven, right?

No, wrong, more like hell.

They weren't even _talking_ to each other anymore. She could see them glance back and forth, the other always missing the needy little look, but the both of them were so effin' _clueless_. It was annoying as hell to say the least. Haley was used to getting what she wanted, when she wanted it. But with these two? It took _weeks_ of work. _Weeks_ of trying to get them together. So, finally she went up to the band and asked them if they'd play a song for her. They agreed to, and Haley thanked the Gods that Micheal Buble was their guest singer.

Walking briskly over to Derek as the band was getting ready, she pulled him away from the little bimbo he was chatting up. "Derek, ask Casey to dance."

"What?" He looked at her like she had three heads.

"_Go _get _Casey_ to dance with you," Haley hissed with a firm look, and he nodded in compliance. "Thank you."

Releasing him, she watched as he walked slowly, sluggishly up to Casey. She was smiling and talking to… was that her cousin Brian? Squinting, she caught the look that flashed across Derek's face as his pace sped up so that he could catch his step-sister's hand and drag her onto the dance floor. She looked outraged, but she kept her voice at a hissing whisper as she glared up at him.

"This is a little gift," Michael's smooth voice filled the room and Casey looked over at the stage with wide, fan-girl-like eyes. "to a pretty girl."

_Never know how much I love you,  
never know how much I care,  
when you put arms around me,  
I get a fever that's so hard to bear,_

Casey smiled brightly as the jazz singer winked at her, and Derek rolled his eyes dramatically. His hands drifted down to her hips and he pulled her close with a sharp tug. She looked at him with wide eyes and he just rose a brow in question. Blinking, she settled against him, her hands resting at his shoulders as they swayed to the music.

_You give me fever, when you kiss me,  
fever when you hold me tight  
Fever - in the the morning,  
fever all through the night._

Her hips rolled to the smooth beat and Derek suddenly seemed hypnotized by her movements as he was hypnotized by her earlier in the evening. The silk slid beneath his fingers, feeling cold but he knew the skin beneath would be almost scorching to touch. Little electric sparks went curling through his nerves, and he let his hands glide around from her hips to the small of her back as her hands moved to the back of his neck. A sweet caress made him shudder, and he was pretty sure that his heart skipped a beat.

_Sun lights up the daytime, moon lights up the night  
I light up when you call my name,  
and you know I'm gonna treat you right  
You give me fever - when you kiss me,  
fever when you hold me tight  
Fever—_

Derek dipped her as the instruments struck with a loud, sharp bang and he grinned when he brought her up breathless. Her chest moved with each shuddering breath she took and he leaned in to nuzzle his face into her soft, soft hair.

_- in the the morning,  
fever all through the night._

Her breath hitched and he chuckled as her grip tightened on the back of his neck. Her body was pressed completely to his, and it felt like she belong there.

_Everybody's got the fever,  
that is something you all know  
Fever isn't such a new thing,  
fever started long ago._

It was a strange revelation, like the one he'd had back at their condo, realizing he liked her pressed to him like this. That he just liked _her_ in general. She hummed against him, her skin glowing under the dimmed lights of the ballroom. He didn't just like her… It was more. Way more. More than he was ready for, but at the same time he'd been ready since he first saw her. His heart hammered a little faster as he took her hand and twirled her out and away just so he could breath. He felt breathless and light headed, and by the flush on Casey's face, he was betting she felt the same.

_Romeo loved Juliet,  
Juliet she felt the same  
When he put his arms around her,  
he said "Julie baby you're my flame"  
Thou givest fever, when we kisseth,  
fever with thy flaming youth  
Fever - I'm afire, fever yeah I burn forsooth _

Yet, another bright smile lit her features as she giggled at the lyrics of the song. She tossed her head back once she was pressed to him again and he waggled his eyebrows at her. Rolling her eyes, she couldn't smother the grin that curved her lips. He chuckled and spun her around under his arm before pulling her flush against him. Her breath came in little gasps of surprise as he lifted her off her feet to spin around. She laughed as he set her down and flipped around so that her back was pressed tightly to his chest.

_Captain Smith and Pocahontas had a very mad affair  
When her Daddy tried to kill him,  
she said "Daddy-O don't you dare"  
Give me fever - with his kisses,  
fever when he holds me tight  
Fever - I'm his Missus,  
Oh daddy won't you treat him right_

As Derek chuckled, Casey could feel it vibrate through her to her core and she shivered in delight. The anger she'd felt earlier was gone, and replaced with this utter glee and excitement. His hot breath ghosted across her skin and she turned her head so that their lips were only inches apart. He could kiss her, but instead he spun her out again and then back to him, slowing their pace with the song.

_Now you've listened to my story,  
here's the point I have made:  
Chicks were born to give you fever,  
be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade._

Their breathes mingled between the both of them, and Casey's heart fluttered as her eyes met his almost black ones. Panic settled in her gut as he smirked at her, and she feared that he'd embarrass her by saying something stupid about how she _must_ like him. Even if it was true, it wasn't nice to tease. So, she prepared herself for it only to find her lips locked with his in a sweet, burning kiss. Heat flooded through both of them; a pleasant cold sweat broke out on Derek's skin and Casey threaded her fingers through his hair, messing up what Haley had taken simply twenty minutes to fix.

_They give you fever - when you kiss them,  
fever if you live and learn  
Fever - till you sizzle,_

He cupped her jaw, biting her lip and then diving in with his tongue when she granted him entrance into her mouth. She moaned against him, her hand coming down to grip his wrists as he kissed the breath from her lungs. Like he could only breath what she'd already used. Like nothing else was good enough. The kiss was hungry, and wanting, and Casey didn't need to think about how long he'd been craving to do it. Because she couldn't think at all, really.

_What a lovely way to burn._

Pulling back, he panted and rested his forehead against hers. Her blue eyes stared up at his happy, glee-filled face and she couldn't help but chuckle at how he looked. Suddenly, Haley was next to them, a panicked look in her emerald orbs. She tugged at Derek's jacket and he twisted his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow. Gulping, she glanced around worriedly and then sighed.

"We should leave guys…" She whispered, and only then did they noticed that everyone was staring at them.

_What a lovely way to burn. _

"PDA isn't exactly looked well upon here," She whispered, and they started moving for the door. "The limo will take you guys back, I'll be there soon. I've got to deal with the 'rents first though."

Nodding, Derek pulled Casey in tow as they made their way outside and to the sleek, black Bentley. The music following them out into the chilled, night air.

_What a lovely way to burn…_

"We _are _going to talk about this later, right?" He asked with a shaky voice as they climbed into the car.

"No, Derek," She gave him a dry look, tilting her head to the side. "We're just going to pretend we didn't make out in the middle of hundreds of people. Oh, and we'll just ignore the tabloid pictures and rumors that will most likely say we 'snuck out' early to have a quickie."

"When did you become such a pessimist?" He raised an eyebrow, but was unable to hide his grin.

"I think you rubbed off on me is all," She shrugged, licking her lips. "Wanna try that again?"

"The kissing thing or the quickie thing?" He smirked and she smiled in return before he leaned in to give her a sweet kiss as the car pulled away from the curbside.

Inside, Haley kept herself from rolling her eyes as her father ranted about getting better friends. More appropriate friends. She let herself smile, though. The briefest little thought sliding through her mind as she continued to tune out her old man. _Finally_, they aren't clueless anymore.

_Fin_

**Hope you all liked it. Much Love (REVIEW),**

**~TaRa**


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